Blue Thunder

by Spangaloo Publishing

  “A life for a life,” he replied, and then guided her safely back to camp.

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  THIRTY-TWO

  Fully recovered Hawk Nose had grown fond of the white woman who saved his life. He had followed her to the lake and watched from behind a bush. Black birds dotted the sky in the distance and the fire ball overhead warmed the earth. He watched Moon Glow strip and wade into the water; she was so beautiful that his breath caught in his throat. After she bathed she slowly walked out of the water and the sun made the droplets on her light skin glisten, giving her the appearance of a goddess. His manhood swelled in awe of her. He was sorry he had made her angry, but now as he had touched his cheek where Moon Glow placed her innocent kiss, it left a mark on his heart forever.

  Days passed since then and there was no sign of Blue Thunder and his party. Moon Glow said she was glad for Hawk Nose, Laughing Tree and her daughter. They took her mind off her husband’s long absence. Every evening he and Moon Glow would sit by the pond with Blue Moon to talk. To a stranger’s eyes they looked like a happy family, and this was the feeling he wanted; more and more he thought of them as his family. The though of his parent’s murder was being replaced by the woman and her daughter. As days passed, he no longer remembered Blue Thunder or the others; he was in love with the golden-haired beauty. When Moon Glow began to show in her fifth month, Hawk Nose assumed the child was his. Some nights he fantasized about her lying next to him on his mat. There were occasion when reality set in and he remembered that she was Blue Thunder’s wife. When he saw her again, his mind slipped back into another world

  causing him to believe she was only his. Soon his lonely nights made him think that the big brave was gone and the party would not return. He would have to care for her now, but he had to take her away from here. A devious plan formed in his mind.

  Melissa was worried and had a nagging suspicion that her husband might have been killed. Dasodaha and Laughing Tree were also greatly concerned. Had the party of braves ridden

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  into an ambush? She began to rely on Hawk Nose more and more for firewood, small game, and companionship. At night she’d lay awake yearning for her husband; she could never love anyone as she loved Blue Thunder. She was told that dark smudges appeared below her light eyes and she was losing weight instead of gaining. Each passing day Dasodaha said he was growing more concerned about her and she would tell him that she was fine. She knew she was a terrible liar.

  “Moon Glow!” her father-in-law called from outside the wickiup. “I would like to speak with you.” She placed her daughter on the floor and stood. She had been reciting nursery rhymes to keep her mind off Blue Thunder, but she had failed. She wiped the wetness from her cheeks and greeted the chief warmly.

  Dasodaha entered and sat next to his grandchild. Placing the girl on his lap, he said, “Blue Thunder is alive. I feel it here,” he pounded his chest. “You must believe. Once before I listened to foolish words of my son’s death but did not feel the loss in my heart. This time, I know better, he lives. You must remember the child you are carrying and daughter, Little Blue Moon. Your husband would not like it if his wife was not brave and lost the baby.”

  Melissa nodded but she was not convinced that Blue Thunder was alive. If only she could feel it in her heart, but she was numb inside. She continued to go about her chores barely hearing the lectures by Laughing Tree or the soothing words of Hawk Nose. Days blurred by. Blue Moon begged for her loving arms and laughter but she was ignored. Melissa knew her young child couldn’t understand what was happening to her mother.

  Laughing Tree took sympathy on the little girl and offered to care for her. “You have two babies to think about,” she scolded her one day. “You must come out of this trance to take care of yourself and daughter and attend to the health of your spirit. I will take the child.”

  Wearily, she listened without really hearing and Laughing Tree picked up Blue Moon. “I hate to be cruel to mother of child, but Moon Glow must come to her senses. I will pray to the gods or surely you lose baby. I cannot fault you for love for nephew but white woman was so strong for others, why lose hope for herself so easily?”

  Melissa knew the older Indian woman was right; she had to pull herself together. But she hated the fact that she was so helpless and wanted to do something. Sitting and waiting was driving her crazy. And so, she decided to take matters into her own hands.

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  The weather became too cool to sit by the pond at night. Almost five months along now, the child moved in her stomach giving her a mixed sensation. She believed she carried a son and her heart broke thinking that her husband might never know. The wind picked up outside the wickiup and she shivered but not from the cool air. She wondered how the camp would survive with the little rations that were left. Blue Thunder had told her how bad some winters could get and most of the braves were gone. Who would provide food for the village? Even Dasodaha returned the other day with only a few small animals. She didn’t want to stay to watch the people she had come to love starve. If she left, the food Blue Thunder had put away would be enough to feed Blue Moon and Laughing Tree. She had to chance finding her husband, for she might starve along with her daughter if she stayed.

  “Hawk Nose,” she said when the brave come to her dwelling, “I want to leave the village to look for Blue Thunder.”

  Hawk Nose brows furrowed in thought.

  Why would she want to look for a man he hoped was no longer alive? A man whose face was now a blur to him? But because Moon Glow wanted to leave, she had played perfectly into his hands. He had planned to take her away soon, even if he had to tie her to a pony. Now she would come willingly but he would not look for her husband. With the knowledge of where his village once stood, he’d take her in the opposite direction. He knew she trusted in him; there was no reason not to.

  “We must leave before dawn. I don’t want Dasodaha to stop us,” she whispered in case anyone was nearby.

  Hawk Nose nodded and hid the wicked grin. He assumed that Moon Glow saw a good

  friend helping her in her time of need. Being Apache, he could survive in zero temperature with very little clothes but not the white woman so he packed her a blanket and a fur robe telling her to bring supplies to hold them for awhile, but she said there was little to spare and they would have to make due with berries and what he could kill.

  They rode quietly into the cold night and Hawk Nose knew Moon Glow’s heart was heavy with guilt for taking two horses and leaving her daughter. She had almost changed her mind when she had mentioned that fact to him. But he convinced her that the child would be all

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  right. Blue Moon was in good hands with Laughing Tree and Dasodaha. Even Licks Too Much watched over the child like a mother hen.

  “Your daughter will be better off with them.”

  She was convinced but still, he saw tears flowing down her cold cheeks.

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  THIRTY-THREE

  Licks Too Much woke and the instant he open his eyes he sensed something was wrong. His master’s mate was not in the dwelling. It had been lonely the past few days with Blue Moon living with Laughing Tree and he’d tried to cheer up his mater’s mate, but she wouldn’t even scratch his ear or pet him as she had done so many times before. He rose and sniffed the ground; her scent was still on the mat, so he decided to look for her outside. She might have risen early and taken a walk in the woods. Licks Too Much had to relieve his bladder anyway, so he ran off to look for her. After sniffing around for awhile, he found the scent of a familiar horse she had ridden before and another mount. He decided to follow the trail of the horses and was getting hungry but he was determined to find the woman and he was trained never to give up. The further he traveled, the cooler it became, and he knew he’d better find her before the snow fell.

  Licks Too Much had no idea how long he had traveled, but he was near starvation and exhaustion, knowing he’d soon die. But still he forged on.

 
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  THIRTY-FOUR

  Blue Thunder and his brother Star Gazer were wounded and captured and now they were confined in the white man’s army cell. Two months ago they were taken prisoners; their public hanging was to be tomorrow. He thought of Moon Glow and his daughter whom he’d never see again, and his unborn child who he would never know. Headaches from the bullet that had creased his forehead bothered him, the desert sands couldn’t be any dryer than his mouth and he was nauseated, but he was in better condition than most of his braves. Many had died here from infected wounds that were not cared for by the soldiers. Star Gazer was also lucky; he had been knocked unconscious before his capture. He believed that his brother would have been more alert if his mind had not been on Weeping Bird.

  He looked around trying to figure a way out, but the cell was locked tight. Grunting, he thought back on the day they were captured. It did not take him and his party long to find the men who had raided the neighboring village. The miners were too busy digging for the gold that they had discovered to notice Indians had surrounded them. The miners were taken by surprise and were not prepared for the attack; every man was killed quickly. He and his party celebrated their victory that night, planning to return to their village the next day. They had been gone too long; he missed his family and wanted to return as soon as possible. Winter was coming and it was time to hunt to supply the camp for the cold season.

  Blue Thunder learned later that during the attack, a lone rider had been returning from his trip to the trading post for supplies. Apparently, the man had heard the shots and screams of war cries before he saw them. Blue Thunder also assumed he did not stop to investigate further, and he hightailed back to the post for help. Over a dozen soldiers rode hard to catch up with his band of Indians who traveled at a slower pace. Blue Thunder was only two days from the mountain pass when he spotted the Cavalry tracking them. Not wanting to lead soldiers in the direction of the village, he circled around to lead them in the opposite direction.

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  Miles of open land stretched before them with no place to hide. They could only urge their horses, hoping to outrun the Cavalry. He prayed that the soldiers’ horses were in no better shape. He was right, the army could not keep up but they were not going to give up. The Apaches

  were greatly out numbered and their only hope was to find cover. After riding their mounts to near exhaustion, they made it to a wooded area. He suggested that they stand their ground to fight the army and waited for the white dogs he trusted were just as weary.

  Blue Thunder and his braves got little sleep that night, although they suspected the army would not attack until dawn. He knew the white men only had to wait them out, until they were out of food and water. He sat most of the night praying for strength and at dawn the first bullet took down the brave sitting next to him. The attack didn’t last long but every man fought with bravery and determination. He was proud of his men and Weeping Bird; she fought with the best of them.

  Back at the cell, Star Gazer took that moment to call her name, bringing Blue Thunder out of his painful reflections for a moment. His brother had cried for Weeping Bird every night since she had taken the bullet meant for him. She died bravely, like a true warrior but that knowledge did nothing to ease his brother’s pain.

  His mind’s eyes replayed that terrible day. He had just killed a soldier when he looked around to see he was among others fighting. Weeping Bird managed to kill one soldier before two uniformed officers grabbed her. The two men went wild after seeing a friend dead with a knife protruding from his chest. The private back handed Weeping Bird, since her sheath was empty, he knew she was the one. The brave maiden was not threatened and spat in his face.

  The soldier wiped the wetness from his scowling face and Blue Thunder heard the soldier snicker, “We have a spirited squaw there, Josh.”

  Star Gazer came to Weeping Bird’s aid, tackling the uniformed man called Josh from behind. The soldier was able to break away and kicked his brother in the stomach. Weeping Bird screamed and lurched forward to help. A soldier pointed his gun at Star Gazer as Josh grabbed Weeping Bird. But she wouldn’t be stopped without a fight and raised her knee sharply to his groin. He released her and she threw herself onto Star Gazer just as a gun exploded into her back. Her brown eyes opened wide at the searing pain. He saw the agonizing look on Star Gazer’s face.

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  She collapsed onto Star Gazer, her eyes still open. It was as if she knew by closing her lids she would lose the memory of his face forever. Star Gazer had howled in pain when he feared that her life was slipping quickly from her body. His brother slowly lifted her, paying no heed to the fighting around him. Holding her close, he placed a kiss on her brow, and he was rendered unconscious. Too concerned for his brother he had not watched his back and then the pain in his head put his mind into total darkness.

  Now Blue Thunder looked around at his men. They were wounded, dirty, and underfed. The cell stank from human waste, puke, and unclean bodies and they were constantly bitten by bugs. He was filled with rage at the way they were treated but he did not expect anything different. Some days he would have welcomed death.

  He stood to stretch his legs then went to the small barred window. Morning light brightened the crammed cell some and there was a need to breathe fresh air. He was tall enough to see out the window and into the yard. It didn’t hold much of a view since only a few feet away stood a tall wooden fence. Escape seemed impossible; his wife’s image floated before his eyes as it did a hundred times a day. His love for her gave him strength. Engrossed in his thoughts, it took a moment to realize he had heard a sound from outside. He looked out to see a small shadow creep under the window and then the top of a head coming to view. He blinked. Was his mind playing tricks? Blue Thunder waited to see what would happen next. A woman looked up into the window.

  “Hello,” the woman’s voice whispered. “Can anyone hear me? I haven’t much time. I might be discovered. Please, if you can hear me---”

  “I hear you,” he answered.

  Nervously, she shifted the bundle of wash in her arms. “I want to talk to the one they call Blue Thunder.”

  He was curious as to why a white woman would want to chance speaking with him.

  “I am Blue Thunder.” He heard the woman release a sigh and he asked, “Who are you?”

  “It’s not important who I am, but over a year ago a beautiful white woman was taken from a wagon train by a warrior.” He heard the tremble in her voice. “She was brought to the fort one day. We became friends and I grew to love her in the short time she was here. Before she

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  disappeared, she confided in me about a handsome brave, Blue Thunder. She spoke his name with such love.” The woman stopped talking for a moment listening to hear if anyone was coming. “You are the one?”

  “Yes.”

  The woman looked away again and shifted the wash to her other arm. “Is she all right?”

  “The last time I saw her, she was healthy and happy. She is carrying our second child.”

  She gasped. “Oh! Is she really happy?”

  “We are very much in love. Enough talk, why are you here?”

  “If I can help you escape, and God have mercy on my soul, would you promise to leave quickly without bloodshed? Lord knows I couldn’t live with the guilt, but....”

  Blue Thunder would promise anything to be free again. Was this a trick? They were going to be hanged at daybreak; he would take the chance. “Yes, I promises not to kill unless necessary. Why are you helping?”

  “It doesn’t matter. Take the key.” She stood on her toes and stretched to hand him the object. “My husband won’t miss it tonight. We’re having a party and most of the post will be there. I’ll see that the guard gets a bottle. He will drink himself into a stupor, so take your friends and leave quickly. If you are caught, you must not mention who helped you, for my husband would be stripped of his rank and court marshaled. I’m taking a great chance. Tell
Melissa that Blanch misses her and hope she finds happiness forever.”

  With that the woman was gone, leaving Blue Thunder staring dumbfounded at the key in his hand.

  That night, true to the woman’s words, the guard drank himself into unconsciousness. The prisoners heard music and people laughing and singing. Slowly, Blue Thunder had his braves creep past the sleeping duty guard and he took the soldier’s rifle for insurance. The braves took their long knives from a drawer. The gate was guarded by two men, who had been drinking heavily and they were rendered unconscious. Although the braves wanted to cut their throats, he kept his promise to the woman. They found their horses in a paddock behind a building. Quietly, they rode to safety.

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  THIRTY-FIVE

  “How the hell did they get lose?” barked Sanders.

  Private Smith stood, eyes downcast, nervously twisting his hat in his hands. “You can be hanged for this! You were out cold when the Indians made their escape. The cell was not discovered empty until another soldier shook you awake.” Sanders saw how green the private was around the gills and knew the soldier was sick. It served him right for being drunk on duty. But he was young once and realized how lonely it was sitting guard, since he sat there many times himself. He would determine the young soldier’s punishment later; the man was not going anywhere.

  “Go!” he ordered, his voice gruff. He was annoyed at himself more than the soldier. He should have checked the prisoners himself last night. The private turned and ran with his hand over his mouth. The sound of retching was heard outside.